Only Makes More Darkness
by PrincessAmberLightshallow
Summary: The Hunt comes to camp for the first time since the Battle of Manhattan. Can Thalia, still heartbroken over the loss of Luke, see Nico as more than her friend? Or will the revelation of feelings tear them apart? Rated T for language.


A/N: I sorta just started pounding this out. Started out as this little what if, got kinda pissed, and it became this. At this point I don't know exactly where I am going with this, so as a fair warning this may be a bit dark and there will be language. This is a Thalico one-shot, but it's not really flat-out romance…you'll see. Set between TLO and TLH. Thalia's first time back at camp since the Battle of Manhattan. Hope you like it.

PrincessAmberLightshallow

Disclaimer: seriously, you'll be able to tell that I'm not Rick. By no means.

**Only Makes More Darkness **

The Hunt moved in silence along the road, blending into thin air as night set in. Thalia looked up at the sign ahead of her. Delphi Strawberry Farm. ¼ mile. She adjusted the pack on her shoulders. She wasn't sure if she wanted to go back. It reminded her of Luke…no, it didn't. She wanted it to remind her of him. There was nothing there that did. He was gone. He'd been a traitor, but he died a hero. He deserved more, something bigger than just a camp to remember him by.

"You okay?" Phoebe asked.

"I'm fine," Thalia replied, "Camp's right up the hill here."

"Oh, joy," Phoebe smiled in the dark.

Thalia laughed a little, "Yeah. Straight to the cabin, I guess."

They walked past the border. Thalia looked at the tree and the fleece that hung on it. She still wasn't sure whether getting freed from that pine was a blessing or a curse. She waited until the last Hunter had passed through and then jogged up to the lead, again.

"We're going right to the cabin."

She led them through camp, quietly. It was a bit hard to find the Artemis cabin since so many new ones had been built for all the minor gods. The girls settled down and began picking bunks. Thalia stepped out to use the restroom.

On her way back, she passed the Zeus cabin. She stopped. It looked…smaller. She walked onto the marble floor and in the doorway. Her lone cot was still wedged in the corner out of the view of her dad's statue. The wall was still covered in the pictures of her, Annabeth, and Luke. So many times she tried to take them down. She couldn't. Thalia sat on the edge of the bed and sighed. She took off her shoes and climbed under the covers. She stared at the wall.

"Why'd you have to go?" she whispered and closed her eyes.

"Thalia. Thals wake up," someone called.

She rolled over.

"Wake. Up," the voice continued, now smacking her with her pillow.

Her eyes flew open. Annabeth stood over her, a few feathers stuck in her hair. Thalia reached for the pillow.

"Give me that."

Annabeth shook her head.

"Get up," she laughed.

Thalia dragged herself out of the blankets. She grabbed her shoes and put them on again.

"Can I have a hug, now?" Annabeth wondered.

"Yes."

Annabeth gave her a big hug.

"Go take a shower, you smell like crap."

"Thanks," Thalia replied.

"Sorry."

Thalia stood up, "See you at breakfast."

"Yeah."

Annabeth ran out the door. Thalia followed and headed to the Artemis cabin. The Hunters were gone. She changed quickly and left the building tying her hair up. She headed to the pavilion. There were more tables. More campers. More food. She smiled and started walking to her table. She stopped. She _could_ sit with the rest of the Hunt.

"It's not so bad."

Thalia whipped around.

"What?"

"Being alone at the table. It's not so bad," the boy repeated.

He was a bit taller than her and a whole lot paler. His black hair flopped over his chocolate eyes a bit. Nico.

"Hey, Death Breath," she said.

"Hey, Pinecone Face."

"I feel you can do better than that," she teased.

"Alright, I'll try."

She laughed.

"You know, you don't have to sit alone. I'll join you."

"Be my guest," he replied.

They walked over to the Hades table and sat on opposite sides of it. A few cabins were missing, so everyone was either catching a few extra minutes of sleep or complaining about being hungry.

"Sooooo," Nico dragged the word out, "The Hunt, how's that working out?"

"Fine."

"You seem very enthusiastic about it."

She shot him a glare, "It's, like, seven in the morning."

"It's actually eight."

"Shut up. Remember, I have two other tables I can go to."

Nico shook his head. Suddenly, someone grabbed Thalia by the shoulders causing her to jump.

"Welcome back, Thals."

"Holy shit, I think I just had a heart attack. Never do that again, Seaweed Brain," she shoved him.

Percy laughed and slid in next to her, "Sorry. Morning, little dude."

"I'm older than you," Nico said.

"Technically, yes, but you have the body and mind of a child, who is in fact, younger than me," Percy pointed out.

"Don't try to act smart," Thalia scoffed.

Annabeth got up from her table and walked over to them.

"I thought I told you to take a shower," she said.

"Later," Percy and Thalia replied at the same time.

"Creep," Thalia told him.

"I'm a bit worried by the fact that you have the same hygiene habits," Nico countered.

"Shut up," they told him, "Jinx. Jinx. Stop it! JINX!"

Annabeth sat down next to Nico, who was laughing at the two on the other side of the table. Thalia crossed her arms and tried her best to look stoic. This was difficult because she wanted to burst out in laughter. At that moment, the Hermes cabin trudged into the pavilion. She felt her heart drop.

_Luke. _

None of them were like him…but they were exactly the same. The mischievous smile, the upturned eyebrows, the sparkling eyes. She looked at the table.

"You okay?" Annabeth asked.

"Mmmh, yeah."

_Of course she doesn't see it. She has Percy. I have nothing. No one. _

Finally, everyone had entered the pavilion and the dryads began to bring out the plates of food.

"Waffles!" Percy exclaimed as the platter had reached them.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. She looked over at Thalia. She was eating slowly, eyes glued to something in the distance.

"Something wrong?"

Thalia shook her head and adjusted her gaze at Annabeth. Her bright eyes seemed cloudy and distracted.

"No, nothing."

"You can tell me anything."

"I know."

They continued eating. Chiron noticed them and trotted over to the table.

"I do believe camp rules say that you must sit at your designated tables," he said, smiling knowingly.

"I have no designated table," Thalia replied, "So, I picked a random table and have dubbed it mine, for now, and anybody can sit here. There a rule saying I can't do that?"

"Carry on."

"How…What…Did you…Wow," Percy failed to create a sentence.

"It's a gift. One of the many things you lack."

"Shut up."

"Whatever, Kelp Head. I'm right."

Percy looked like he was going to explode. Annabeth was trying not to laugh, while Nico was cracking up. Thalia chuckled at the look on Percy's face. Nico stopped laughing long enough to nod at her approvingly. She dropped him a wink in reply. In that moment, something happened. Something changed about Thalia, something only Nico could see. Something wonderful.

The days passed quickly. The Hunters took archery with the Apollo cabin. Thalia made it her goal to out-shoot all of them. They had Mythology with the Athena kids and managed to get two rock-wall times. Thalia spent her free time with Annabeth, Percy, and Nico. On the fifth day, Annabeth and Percy went to the beach. Thalia and Nico were all by themselves.

"What do you want to do?" Nico asked.

"I don't know. Want to decapitate Barbie's, spray paint the Aphrodite cabin black, raid the kitchens for their pudding cups and marshmallows?" Thalia suggested.

"That's a hard decision, but pudding sounds good right now."

Thalia smiled. She'd been feeling better lately, especially in that second. Something about Nico just erased Luke from her brain. She liked it.

They walked to the kitchens and went in. Nico asked for some pudding cups and one of the harpies soon came back with two. Thalia raised an eyebrow.

"Had kitchen duty enough. They know me," he explained.

"Bad boy."

"Maybe."

They walked to the canoe lake and sat on the pier. They ate their puddings quietly.

"This is nice," Thalia said.

"Yeah. I guess."

"You guess?"

He shrugged, "I don't know. Seems a bit average. I know I've had a lot of adventure, but I want more."

_Luke always said that. _

"I have to go," Thalia stood.

"You sure?"

She nodded.

"Gimme your pudding."

"No. I'll keep it."

Nico looked at Thalia as she slowly got smaller. He wondered if it was just him or if she really was glowing. He watched as her jean clad hips swayed with every step she took. He must be losing it. He can't be looking at Thalia like that. She's a Hunter, his pudding buddy, his cousin.

_She sure is beautiful. She's sane, too. _

Thalia threw away the pudding cup and went to sit on the steps of the Big House. She sat there for a while, messing with a blade of grass. The door opened behind her.

"Hey, Thalia. Heard you were back."

"Hey, Rachel."

The red-headed girl sat down next to her. Her shorts were splattered with paint and she wore a junky tee, two sizes too big. Her hair was messily pulled back and her eyes were bright with excitement.

"You know, when you mix dark blue and black, you don't get a really rich blue, that's just dark. You get the color of that eternal dark that just encases the sky. No matter what you do, even adding white, it doesn't change. You can't reverse it. It just makes more darkness."

Thalia looked at her.

"Um? Okay?"

"I'm painting a picture of the strawberry fields on a moonless night. I couldn't find the right color for the sky. That's it."

"Ahhh. That makes sense."

"Does it? Art doesn't make sense to me. It just is. Seems more natural to just go with it. Trying to make sense of it just ruins the magic, ya know?"

Thalia shook her head, "No, I don't."

That night, at dinner, Thalia sat with the Hunt.

"What's with the boy?" Phoebe asked.

"Who? Percy?"

"No, the other one."

"Nico?"

Phoebe nodded.

"Nothing," Thalia said, "He's my pudding buddy."

"Oh, pudding buddies."

"Yeah."

"I just thought…never mind."

Suddenly, everyone got quiet. Chiron had raised his hand and motioned for silence.

"Tonight's game of capture the flag is cancelled, due to the requests that it be suspended this week for personal reasons."

He looked directly at the Hunt. Thalia sighed.

"Sorry, everyone!" she called over the grumbling and groaning.

Dinner was dismissed after that. They had free period until the Sing-A-Long. Nico jogged up to Thalia.

"Wanna go up to the Poop Pile and chill? I've got banana pudding," he said.

"Sure. I'm always up for pudding."

The sky was filled with golds and purples and pinks. It looked gorgeous. Thalia sighed.

"I wish I could paint or draw or something, it's so perfect."

"It's okay," Nico said.

Thalia stared at him.

"What? I've seen better."

She shook her head, "I don't believe you."

"You should."

She shoved him. He shoved her back. A shove war ensued that ended with Nico pinning Thalia to the ground.

"I have seen better."

"Okay, I surrender."

Nico didn't move. Thalia would've wondered why, but she was mesmerized by his eyes. They were so dark and had a thin layer, like ice over them. Beneath the ice something was pulsing, something that seemed to be trying to boil over the cold. Suddenly, his eyes were right over hers. They closed and, then, Thalia realized what was happening.

"Stop!" she covered his mouth with her hand.

Nico drew back, "Sorry. Gods, I don't know what that was. I'm sorry, Thalia."

"Why? Why the hell did you do that?"

"I… don't know. I just did."

"I want an explanation. And get off me!"

Nico scrambled off her. Thalia sat up.

"Nico, seriously, what is going on?"

He looked at the ground.

"Hello?" she said, "Nico?"

He remained silent.

"Talk to me! Now!"

He still didn't say anything.

"Fine. Be that way. You can keep your mouth shut. I don't give a shit. Don't expect me to come back though. As far as I know, you just tried to kiss a fucking Hunter who has a fucking oath of maidenhood!"

Thalia got up and began to walk away. She stopped.

"Oh yeah, have a _great _night."

"Thalia? Thals? Earth to Thalia Grace," Percy waved a hand in front of her face.

"What?" she snapped.

"Jeez, what's your problem?"

"Problem? I don't have a problem. What's _your_ problem?" she said quickly, too quickly.

"Is something wrong?" Annabeth asked.

"No."

"You sure? If you want to talk-,"

"Everything is fine."

She stared into the fire. The white hot embers illuminated half her face and casting the other side into the shadows.

"Something's wrong," Annabeth whispered to Percy.

"I know. You seen Nico? They went to go eat pudding or something and he never came back."

"I think Nico is the problem."

Percy nodded, "Me too. Don't get involved. If they're gonna fight, they need space."

"I know. I'm just worried."

Thalia got up from the bench a bit later.

"I'm going for a walk," she said.

She left the fire circle and headed out to the stream, where the woods began. She remembered her first game of capture the flag. How much fun it'd been. How naïve she'd been. Luke wasn't dead to her yet. He was still alive. Now he was gone. Nico di Angelo, the little kid she'd rescued at a military school, had tried to kiss her. How many times she's wanted to do hat to Luke, to just lean in and feel complete. She wouldn't be a Hunter if he was still here.

"Why'd you leave me?" Thalia wondered aloud, "Didn't you care?"

It echoed around her.

"I loved you for every second I knew you! And how do you repay me? By leaving me! And now I'll never see you again. Even if I died."

Thalia felt tears prick the back of her eyes.

"Ever think of me? Did I even matter to you? I guess not. Well…" she trailed off. Could she even say it? Yes, she could, "Fuck you, Luke Castellan! Fuck you!"

She fell to her knees and cradled her face in her hands.

"You never cared. Not the way I wanted you to," she whispered.

Hot tears streamed down her face. She desperately wished they would stop. Suddenly, she felt the ground disappear beneath her. She looked up.

"Nico?" she asked.

He smiled weakly and sat on the ground, his arms still securely under legs and around her waist.

"Hey, Pinecone Face."

"I told you to do better," she sniffled.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"No," she buried her face in his chest, "He didn't love me! Why the fuck did I love him?"

"Shhh. Hey, hey, it's okay," he stroked her hair, "It doesn't matter. You're a Hunter now."

"Yeah, because I've got nobody!"

"You do have somebody. You have Percy, Annabeth, Rachel, all the Hunters. You have me. You'll always have us."

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," she said.

"It's okay," he shrugged, "I yell at people too."

"It's not okay."

"Look, I crossed the line. I get it. It's cool really."

They sat in silence. Thalia absentmindedly played with the zipper on Nico's aviator jacket. Nico continued to stroke her hair. Combing through the soft, thick tresses. His hand fell away from her hair and he grabbed her chin. She looked up. He pulled her face towards his.

"I can't," Thalia said.

"Who cares about the Hunters, can't it just be you and me?"

"It's not that."

"What is it? You don't like me, do you?"

"No, no, I do. I think I do."

"Then what?"

"It only makes more darkness!"

Nico looked at her, "What?"

"Rachel was talking about how she put black and blue together and got the color of eternal darkness, like the night sky or Tartarus. That's you and I, it wouldn't end well. Just end up adding more darkness to the world."

"Thalia, I don't-,"

"We're broken! We're sad, broken, lonely people. My mom hated me. I was a tree. One of the only people I cared about is gone! You're mom and your sister died! Your step mom wants you dead, pretty much. We'd just hurt each other."

"Don't make up excuses. Hey! Where are you going?"

Thalia stood up, "I'm sorry."

"Come back! Stop running away from me!"

"Can't you see that I'm doing this for you?"

Nico shook his head, "If you think we'll just bring each other down, then so be it. I want to go down with you."

"No, you don't. Now go away before I blast you into next year."

He reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her back.

"Let go!" she struggled.

"Thalia, I-,"

"I told you to let go. I'm done with the pain."

"Listen to me!"

She stopped struggling.

"Give me a chance. We already get along. We like the same bands, dress the same, eat pudding."

"But what if we mess it up."

"Then it's just a tiny fragment for Rachel to add to her night sky."

"That's pretty poetic for you."

"I know. It happens when Percy finds out Annabeth like poems."

Thalia laughed, "I kinda like it."

Nico leaned in. Just inches from her face he stopped.

"What?" she asked and opened her eyes.

"Making sure you won't stop me again."

He pulled her close and pressed his lips against hers.

"Please tell me that didn't make you think of Luke," he said.

"No…it made me think of you."

"Good."

He kissed her again.

"I kinda want pudding now," she said.

"We just ate some."

"Yeah, but that was friend pudding. We need couple pudding."

"Is that chocolate pudding by any chance?"

Thalia smile, "I hope so."

A/N: That was fun to write. I was really pissed off when I started writing this. I wrote Thalia's breakdown and the arguments first. Anyways, if you like it please review, comment, alert, favorite. The whole shebang. If you really like it and want me to do a continuation on how their little relationship works out or whatever. Tell me. Hope you like reading it. R&R. Byeeeee.


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